Gift store was owner's best way to cope

Valinda Martin of Corona Del Mar was in a boating accident that made her a paraplegic twenty years ago. She owns an gift and art shop on Balboa Island. This is the fifteen year anniversary of Art for the Soul. She also has a store in Laguna Beach.CHRISTINE COTTER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Art for the Soul

Everything that happened that day just over 20 years ago was wrong – the day Valinda Martin broke her back.

She was on a boat trip returning from Santa Catalina Island that Sept. 6, sitting in the rear. The boat hit a wave, bumping her into the air. As she was coming down, the boat hit another wave, rocketing vertically. She and the boat collided at approximately 25 mph, Martin said.

She immediately knew her back was broken.

“It’s just that everything was wrong that day, sitting in the wrong place, hitting what they call a wake, not a trough, going to Hoag, which is not a trauma center, sitting there for eight hours before surgery, waiting for the X-rays. It’s just that everything went wrong that day,” Martin said.

Doctors later confirmed her L1 and T12 vertebrae had burst into tiny pieces. Those bone pieces got into the spinal cord, working to destroy it. During the following months, Martin learned she would have to use a wheelchair for the rest of her life.

But she says the accident had to happen to set her on the path to opening the gift and art store – called Art for the Soul, with locations on Balboa Island and in Laguna Beach – that is now her pride and joy.

After the accident, she ended up spending 25 days in Hoag’s intensive care unit and another five days in acute care. Then, it was straight to Yorba Linda for seven weeks of rehab. She had to relearn everything: balancing, putting on shoes, putting on clothes, driving with her hands rather than her feet.

She hoped she’d get better; she wanted so badly to prove wrong the one doctor who told her she’d never walk again.

“We’re all in denial in hope,” Martin said. “You’re hoping that the swelling goes down and your spinal cord repairs. Doctors don’t say specifically that you won’t walk because there’s always a chance.”

The first year she lived in denial – “I’m going to wake up and this nightmare is going to be over.” – and she eventually moved in with her sister in Sacramento. On weekends, they’d trek to art festivals, and Martin started purchasing motivational decorations and artwork.

“I found myself starting to reach for happy, whimsical, colorful things, kind of like, get your life together, don’t miss the special stuff,” Martin said.

Working as a wholesale clothing rep – her previous job – was out of the question, she knew. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t work at all. She needed to quit relying on family and support herself, so she moved back to Orange County and bought a house in Corona del Mar.

Even if she couldn’t work with clothing, she could still work in retail. The types of gifts she purchased had a certain theme, one she could market, and resell in her own store. She started scouting locations in Orange County and landed on Balboa Island 15 years ago.

“There was nothing in this area that sold what I had or had the energy that I had in my objects,” Martin said.

Her shop is on Balboa Island’s main drag, Marine Avenue, set amid clothing stores, frozen banana stands and other independent gift stores. Art for the Soul bursts with color, every wall adorned, every shelf filled.

Valinda Martin of Corona Del Mar was in a boating accident that made her a paraplegic twenty years ago. She owns an gift and art shop on Balboa Island. This is the fifteen year anniversary of Art for the Soul. She also has a store in Laguna Beach. CHRISTINE COTTER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Valinda Martin of Corona Del Mar was in a boating accident that made her a paraplegic twenty years ago. She owns an gift and art shop on Balboa Island. This is the fifteen year anniversary of Art for the Soul. She also has a store in Laguna Beach. CHRISTINE COTTER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Art for the Soul, a gift/art shop owned by Valinda Martin In Laguna Beach. Martin was in a boating accident that made her a paraplegic twenty years ago. CHRISTINE COTTER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Pieces of license plates are cleverly combined to spell words at Art for the Soul, a gift/art shop owned by Valinda Martin on Balboa Island. Martin was in a boating accident that made her a paraplegic twenty years ago. This is the fifteen year anniversary of her store. She also has a store in Laguna Beach. CHRISTINE COTTER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Art for the Soul, a gift/art shop owned by Valinda Martin In Laguna Beach. Martin was in a boating accident that made her a paraplegic twenty years ago. CHRISTINE COTTER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Custom aluminum guitars on display at Laguna Beach's Art for the Soul, a gift/art shop owned by Valinda Martin on Balboa Island. Martin was in a boating accident that made her a paraplegic twenty years ago. CHRISTINE COTTER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Colorful hanging glass balls at Art for the Soul, a gift/art shop owned by Valinda Martin on Balboa Island. Martin was in a boating accident that made her a paraplegic twenty years ago. This is the fifteen year anniversary of her store. She also has a store in Laguna Beach. CHRISTINE COTTER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A "Will Trade Boyfriend for Shoes!" sign is for sale at Art for the Soul, a gift/art shop owned by Valinda Martin on Balboa Island. Martin was in a boating accident that made her a paraplegic twenty years ago. This is the fifteen year anniversary of her store. She also has a store in Laguna Beach. CHRISTINE COTTER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

1 of

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.